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to CyberHound In Parts I and 11 of this series on Problem-Solving Techniques the following topics were covered: dog and self-observation, knowing what is right for you and your dog, being open-minded, developing a sense of timing, arranging to have someone else observe you and your dog work to help solve problems, the importance of footwork, and how the down-stay can be used in problem-solving. In this article, I will cover how to get the most out of fun matches, and the first half of a detailed discussion (with pictures) of the different kinds of training equipment and each one's specific use. In the next article I will conclude the discussion of training equipment and give examples of problems that have been solved by using many of these techniques. In this way you will be able to see how you can apply these techniques and tie them all together.
In many parts of the country a great deal of emphasis is placed on winning in both conformation and obedience at fun matches. Many clubs who sponsor these matches promote competition by offering very attractive trophies, as well as cash prizes. Many people who enter these competitive matches are primarily concerned with winning. They are not willing to use corrections, try new pre-exhibiting approaches or problem-solve at these matches for fear of losing points or non-qualifying. Although winning may be a legitimate goal, those who enter fun matches only to win are missing out on a very good opportunity to find out more about themselves and their dogs. Training your dog at classes, parks, and at home is not the same as being in the ring at an A.K.C. show and working on a title, or competing for placements and highs-in-trial. Fun matches (which are mock shows) are a very good interim training ground for you to see just how you and your dog work as a team, to decide whether you are ready for A.K.C. shows, and to try new approaches in order to get the very best performance from yourself and your dog. To use fun matches as an effective training and problem-solving tool, it is important to put the idea of winning out of your mind. If you choose to do this, you should have an objective that you want to accomplish when you enter each match. Remember, high-in-match, and best-in-match wins do not count for legs toward obedience titles, nor championship points. Only A.K.C. shows offer you the opportunity to earn titles as well as placements and wins with your A.K.C. registered purebred dog.
In the Denver area, most of us who have trained many dogs over the years enter our dogs as "exhibition only" in obedience so that those who are new to the sport with their first dogs, 4-H kids, owners of mixed-breed dogs, and of non-A.K.C. recognized purebred dogs (such as the Australian shepherd) have a chance at winning. Wins at fun matches mean a lot more to people from these groups than they do to the "old timers." Also, many people who judge at our matches are not A.K.C. recognized judges, but rather exhibitors who would either like to become judges one day and want the practice, or (like me) people who feel they owe the obedience and conformation community something. I personally don't like to judge and will never become a judge, but it's very helpful to know how it feels to be on the other side of the clipboard.
Since many of the people at our matches are not A.K.C. judges, they have a tendency to make mistakes by not catching dog and handling errors, not running their rings in a smooth and efficient manner, and just not knowing all the rules. Some inexperienced judges have been known to make up their own rules as they go along. This also holds true for the conformation judges who may know their own breed quite well, but are overwhelmed when judging many other breeds. You have to make mistakes in order to learn, and matches are places to make them. So really, those high-in-match and best-in-match wins may not be a good indication that your dog was the best one there, whether in obedience or conformation. Why not use fun matches for what they were designed?
If you are new to the sport of obedience, be sure to check with your instructor first to make sure you and your dog are both ready to enter matches. Many new people make the mistake of entering matches long before they or their dogs are ready. By entering matches too soon you both stand a good chance of coming away with a negative experience. If you need to spend a lot of time correcting and trying to control your dog in the ring, and everything feels awkward to you--then you are not ready! Also, you may only give verbal corrections at a sanctioned match, so unless you and your dog work perfectly as a team you may not want to enter this type of match. It is very important that both of you have a positive first experience so that you feel good about yourself and your dog, know the areas you need to work on, and look forward to the next match with anticipation instead of dread. You will be nervous at your first few matches and will transmit that nervousness through the lead to your dog. If you are not ready and enter anyway, you may become upset with your poor performance and that could very well cause your dog to learn to hate exhibiting. So please make the decision of when to enter fun matches with someone who knows both you and your dog and who can make a more objective evaluation as to your readiness.
If you have trained with food, you will more than likely need to carry it into the ring for the first couple of matches and feed your dog frequently throughout the exercises (except for the stays). To prepare for the big event of your first match, do lots of run-throughs at home and class, gradually reducing the number of times you treat your dog until you can do an entire run-through without using food. Do remember that if you take food into the ring at matches you will receive a zero score. Also, don't forget that food is not allowed in the obedience ring at A.K.C. dog shows or most sanctioned matches.
Every time you enter a match for training purposes, you should have a goal to accomplish for that match. For example, during one match you might try paying particular attention to your smoothness and footwork and use your mental observer to see how the dog responds. Make note of the areas you are still having trouble with and work on those areas in class and at home. At another match, your goal may be to see how your dog works by being crated until just before you go into the ring. At still another match you might want to have your dog on a down-stay by your side for thirty minutes before you exhibit to see how this performance measures up to that when he was crated first. At still another match you may want to concentrate on walking in a straight line (that in itself requires a great deal of concentration and energy for some).
Some people can set several goals and have no problem accomplishing all of them. However, for the average trainer, setting one goal per match and accomplishing it is a more positive experience than setting multiple goals and not achieving all of them. Always have something that you want to work on when you enter matches. When the time comes that you don't need to work on anything then you are probably ready to enter A.K.C. shows. Check with your instructor first before you enter shows to make sure you are indeed ready.
Ask your instructor about the list of judges at shows you plan to enter. Not all A.K.C. judges are competent or pleasant to exhibit under. It is especially traumatic for the new exhibitor to have an unpleasant experience at his first few shows under Mr. Incompetent or Ms. Grumpy. Also, with the cost of dog shows these days there are some judges under whom showing a waste of time and money. Don't get me wrong; the incompetent and unpleasant judges are not common, but there are some out there. If your instructor does not exhibit, or you train by yourself, then find experienced exhibitors and check with them about judges. I still do this when we get a judge in this area about whom I know nothing. You do not need to support incompetence and unpleasantness with an entry.
Fun matches are wonderful places to practice, problem-solve and socialize, Always be prepared to get the most out of each and every match that you enter, but don't forget to make it fun for both you and your dog.
There are many different kinds of training equipment and aids that can be used to train dogs in obedience. The equipment mentioned in this article by no means comprises a complete list. However, the more common equipment and aids that I will cover can be used to train the majority of dogs in obedience. I have omitted some equipment and aids on purpose because their uses are limited to particular training problems for a small percentage of dogs. I have probably omitted some very useful equipment because I have never heard of it and it is only common in a particular part of the country. I can only pass on to you the knowledge that I have learned from others and the results of my own experimentation. Obedience training techniques and equipment are constantly being upgraded by new and very creative people coming into the sport. Their creativity is producing newer and better equipment to help us train our dogs. We are limited in the sport of obedience by a blind and steadfast belief that there is only one way to train a dog with only one kind of training equipment.
Since this is not a book, but rather an article on Problem-Solving Techniques, I will only cover the basics. This miniseries is not about solving specific problems in training and exhibiting, but it does list some very useful tools that can be incorporated into your own training program so that you can learn to solve many of your own problems.
Some people are able to get their dogs trained by using just about any kind of collar and lead to achieve positive results. Many dogs don't seem to care what equipment is used to train them and for those of you with dogs in this category I must admit that I feel some envy. However, because not all dogs are created equal, and not all dogs respond exactly the same way to training equipment, a variety of different leads and collars have been created over the years. Knowing what kinds of responses particular equipment generally elicits from most dogs may be a great help to you in training your dog. If you are not 100 percent satisfied with the way your dog is responding to training, then a change in equipment just might be in order. However, before you make any changes in equipment be sure to evaluate your dog as to temperament, energy level, physical build, and any physical problems. In other words, know your dog! Does the change in equipment you are contemplating make sense to you, and does it fit the type of training that has been working for your dog? I can't stress this aspect of change enough. Don't make changes just for the sake of change, but only when and where change is needed.
The following training equipment and aids will be discussed in this section: different leads and their pros and cons, different kinds of collars and each one's specific use, the jumping stick, and the baby gate. Due to the length of this section, I will only cover leads in this issue. Different collars, the jumping stick, and the baby gate will be discussed in another article.
Many of the top obedience competitors in the country today train their competition dogs to heel through a process known as bonding. Bonding simply means that the dog is held in the heel position during training until he has learned where that position is. This eliminates constantly having to jerk the dog into the heel position when he makes mistakes by lagging, forging, bumping, and heeling wide. For these kinds of dogs a short 18-inch leather lead is used so that the handler doesn't have to hold six feet of lead all folded up in his hands. The lead is held very close to the swivel snap fastener near the collar. Bonding is a very workable way to train many dogs to heel with a minimum of force. However, unless you want to do this with your basset by moving around on your knees or all bent over, another way of accomplishing this must be found. This need has produced the rigid lead, which was invented specifically for toy breeds and other short dogs. The rigid lead is simply a 1/2-inch dowel approximately three feet long, with a hole drilled about 1/2 to 1/4 inch from one end. A swivel snap fastener is attached to the end with the hole by either using strong string or a key ring. The rigid lead accomplishes the same bonding for the short dogs as the short leather lead does for the long-legged ones. You merely hold the stick with the swivel snap fastener attached to the dog's collar at your side. I usually prefer using the dead ring of the choke collar during the learning phase. By using the rigid lead you can walk upright and still able to hold the dog in the correct heel position, thus avoiding the necessity for constant corrections. This is not a process that you can use for a few weeks and then abandon. If you are going to use this technique and want it to succeed you need to use it for many months so that the dog really learns where heel position is, no matter what speed you are going or how you change direction.
The rigid lead is also helpful in teaching the finish, because the point of control is down at the collar and not up where you are holding the lead. Simply have the dog sitting in the front position then tell him to "heel," and guide him with the dowel into the perfect heel position.
After you are able to change pace and direction with your dog always in the correct heel position, you are probably ready to change to another type of lead. However, if at any time the dog becomes sloppy during heeling or you need to clean up his finishes you always have the rigid lead to fall back on. It doesn't make much difference what lead you change to from the rigid lead. However, I personally like a 3/8-inch six-foot leather lead in training, and a very light-weight soft rolled nylon lead, or 1/4-inch thick leather lead for exhibiting. Once the dog thoroughly understands heeling, the type of lead you use is usually only a matter of personal preference. However, a flat and stiff nylon lead can cut your hands if the dog suddenly jerks away from you, so I do not recommend that type of lead. I also don't think the chain lead has a useful purpose in training either, and it can cut your hands as well. Besides, metal leads are not allowed in an A.K.C. obedience ring.
The thickness of the lead that you use should be given some thought. I don't like a lead wider than 3/8-inch thick because holding the excess lead folded in my hands is just too bulky and uncomfortable. Also, most bassets don't need a lead that heavy and strong, and the swivel snap fastener on the wider leads is usually too large for the short dogs. The swivel snap fastener can swing around and hit short dogs in the face, thus causing lagging and possibly teaching them to dislike heeling. I also don't like my dogs to get used to the feel of a heavy lead and snap, because the contrast is so great when the lead is removed for off-lead work. This is my own personal opinion, but if a wide lead works for you and you don't mind its bulk and are not having any heeling problems (on or off lead), then there is no need to change. I am simply presenting my own views and observations on different leads that I have had the opportunity to use and observe others to use over the years in obedience training.